Tag: 1995

On this chilly 31st of January, you’ve probably been thinking about the upcoming weekend, the bipolar weather we’ve been having, whether Georgetown is going to crush St. John’s on Saturday (answer: yes) and whether you’ll be attending the upcoming Cherry Tree Massacre extravaganza (answer again: yes). But you might be interested to know that on January 31st, 1995, the students of Georgetown were thinking about something far, far different: the Leavey Center! Just as we’re in the process of taking student suggestions for the new student center in New South, the students of 1995 were doing the same.

According to the January 1995 archives of The Hoya, the GU administration had just received student input for plans to remodel the main floor of the Leavey Center. (Renovations, which were funded by a $2 million grant from MBNA Bank of America, occurred in the Summer of 1995.)

According to Dean James A. Donahue, “The [Leavey Center] is cold [and] the building is uninviting,” echoing the thoughts of many students and faculty at the time. (I personally thought he was talking about Lau.)

Plans from students aimed to move the Office of Student Affairs to the 5th floor (where it is currently located) and expand the career center (which also occurred). Other suggestions included adding more space for student groups such as WGTB, Uncommon Grounds, the office of performing arts and the Women’s Center. Georgetown University Student Association Vice President Ned Segal even proposed adding “pool tables and televisions” to the Center while still keeping “areas to study.”

The 1995 renovations ultimately shaped the Leavey Center into the space we know and love today. Unfortunately, the revamping also required the removal of the building’s video arcade. (That’s right. Leavey had a video arcade. And yes, we’re disappointed it’s gone, too.)

Looking for further suggestions, The 1995 Hoya also decided to ask students for input on what should be placed into the remodeled Leavey. Some Hoyas’ ideas were spot on and others were … well … take a look for yourself: